1st—Minnesota Twins: Year in and year out the Twins contend for the division title. Coming off a 94 win season in which they won the AL Central, the Twins appear poised for yet another division crown. Strong pitching, with ace Francisco Liriano, anchors the ball club. If Joe Nathan can return strong from Tommy John surgery, the bullpen will be among the best in the league since they acquired Matt Capps to fill Nathan’s absence last season. One concern is whether or not Justin Morneau will be able to come back from his prolonged absence, due to a concussion he sustained sliding into second base last year, at full form. Along with former MVP Joe Mauer the two make for a fearsome middle of the lineup and the Twins’ hopes to contend for the World Series might rely on his presence and high-level performance on the field.
2nd—Chicago White Sox: The addition of power hitting first baseman Adam Dunn makes this lineup much more fearsome. Having hit 38 or more homeruns in each of his past six full seasons, Dunn will team up with Paul Konerko (39 homeruns last season) to try and power this team to the playoffs. While the lineup is strong, the pitching rotation is no slouch either. Their ability to make the playoffs, however, might quite literally rest on Jake Peavy’s shoulders. He will likely miss the first month of the season as a result of shoulder surgery, but if he doesn’t miss any more time than that and returns to form quickly then the White Sox could cause quite a rumble in the AL Central.
3rd—Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera’s (lack of) sobriety has been a constant source of drama for this team. After rehab last offseason Cabrera responded with a monster season (.328, 38 HR, 126 RBI), only to get a DUI just before spring training. His ability to concentrate on baseball amidst all the other distractions will be crucial to the team’s success. The pitching staff will be top-heavy this year, with Justin Verlander leading the way and Brad Penny and Phil Coke as the team’s fourth and fifth starters. Penny has been up and down the past few years and Coke hasn’t been a regular starter since 2008—when he was in Double-A. Look for the back end of the rotation to be a crucial part of the success or failure of these Tigers.
4th—Cleveland Indians: 69 wins last season and not a very active offseason leaves a pretty gloomy outlook for the 2011 Indians. The pitching rotation is poor, with Fausto Carmona, who is middle of the rotation caliber, as its ace. The lineup hopes that Grady Sizemore, having missed the better part of the past two seasons, will finally return healthy and provide a much-needed boost. First baseman Matt Laporta is a player to watch as well. After being acquired in the 2008 CC Sabathia trade from the Brewers, Laporta has been a disappointment and 2011 will be a major year if he is to develop into the superstar he was once predicted to become. Look for young catcher Carlos Santana to break out this season, and provide one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise difficult season for the Tribe.
5th—Kansas City Royals: It’s very hard to be optimistic about a team that won 67 games last year and then traded its ace in the offseason. Greinke, the 2009 Cy Young Award winner, was shipped to the Brewers in a trade, leaving Kansas City a very thin starting rotation. The one asset this team does have is youth, as at age 30 Mike Aviles is the club’s oldest regular. Super-prospect Mike Moustakas will look to break into the ‘Bigs’ this season after clubbing 36 home runs in the minors last year, and Billy Butler is also a source of excitement. Royals fans hope that Alex Gordon will finally shed the “bust” label and show why he was taken 2nd overall in the 2005 draft. Still, Royals fans, get the paper bags ready—this is going to be one ugly season.
